Star Wars Knights Of The Old Republic Crimson Assassin
by TalesOfImagination2311
Summary: A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... It's been a year since the destruction of the Star Forge and the death of Darth Malak, the Sith Empire has scattered around the galaxy but has decided to regroup over the planet Korriban, the homeworld of the Sith. Naresha, the apprentice of a cruel dark lord, is about discover a battle between allies and the true nature of the Sith...
1. Episode I: True Nature

**The Jedi Civil War was coming to an end! Malak had been defeated, killed by his old Master, Darth Revan who had turned back to the light side of the Force. The weakness of Malak had cost him both his life and the Star Forge, a Sith weapon able to produce an unlimited number of starships and droids. It had been destroyed by the Republic Fleet with the help of the Jedis. Everything he had built was falling apart. Now the remaining fighters from Malak's side were regrouping over the ancient homeworld of the Sith: Korriban...**

* * *

"We are on final approach to Korriban. All staff prepare for landing." a voice said.

Naresha woke up to the loud sound of the ship getting out of hyperspace. The Victory had reached its final destination. In her whole life, she hadn't slept in a bed so soft. The one from her room in the academy on Korriban was so hard. Like any other Zeltrons, Naresha had red skin, her dark hair was falling on her shoulders. She was tall for her young age but not as tall as the troopers crumbling on this vessel. She got out of her bed, undressed and put her Sith robes, dark and sleek. She looked at her body… scars where running down: lightsaber cuts, burns, lashes… All of these were her master's fault: lord Rakk, one of Malak's seconds. Watching them reminded her of what she felt in front of him: both fear and anger. He was such a bad teacher. She inspected her previous clothes and got out. A group of four Sith troopers ran past her, hurrying. She started walking and reached the nearest window. _Home_ , she thought. Naresha wanted to watch again the beautiful landscapes of the planet where she liked to wander with her friends. All these expeditions in the Sith tombs to discover buried secrets. She hadn't seen Korriban since the end of the Jedi Civil War, since the Sith forces had to shatter in the galaxy before coming back there. She looked at her world and smiled. Next to the planet, she could see a dozen of Sith interdictors, they were not moving. Starfighters were surrounding them like Raxus Prime flies. They approached as the Victory gained speed. Suddenly, there was a flash of light coming from one of the vessels. The ship split in two; its parts flew away into space going right to the Victory. A whole section of the Interdictor passed right next to the window and hit the cruiser. The ground started crumbling next to Naresha. The lights of the corridors turned down and started flashing red. Then, Naresha gave one last look at the planet as the damaged windows started to close. It was the beginning of a new battle...

"Attention all personal! To your battlestations! We are under attack by Sith battle cruisers." the operator said.

"That's not possible..." Naresha repeated silently, she couldn't believe what she saw. She couldn't imagine that in these times of despair, Siths stopped once more being allies and started again fighting each over.

The apprentice grabbed her lightsaber from her belt and started running away. She needed to go on the bridge, she didn't know what else to do. _Maybe Rakk_ _is_ _dead. I would finally take control._ She climbed up the corridors, running into troopers who were walking towards the weapon controls or utility droids working to repair most of the cruiser damaged segments. As she advanced along the gangway, she stopped as the Sith operator made new announcements to the crew:

"We are being boarded by shuttles. Prevent any entrance to the bridge."

Naresha lit her lightsaber. The red blade appeared in her hands with a majestic sound. She had not been in a fight like this before. She had waited for this moment to show what she was able to do. A door opened next to her and a group of three troopers appeared, pointing their blasters at her. She strongly tightened her saber and looked at the gold-armored men.

"Blast her!" The captain shouted as the soldiers began firing at Naresha.

She reflected a few shots directly at the chests of two of the troopers who fell on the ground. The captain was standing away, he got out his sword made of cortosis, the only material in the galaxy able to resist a lightsaber. The apprentice jumped to the soldier and hit the blade. She had the advantage on him. He blocked a few strokes and threw the weapon at the girl hurting her shoulder. She let out a scream of pain and watched his opponent as he was preparing to hit her once more. But Naresha concentrated, she used her pain as an instrument to kill him: she stood back and used the Force on him. The trooper was levitating, he felt his throat getting smaller, he couldn't breathe. His weapon felt on the ground as he was trying to free himself from her power. But he was too weak and succumbed from the chocking. The Sith apprentice let him down and rested for a moment. It wasn't the first time she felt that sensation of exhaustion after using the Force but it was bigger this time. Then, she continued making her way to the bridge. All around her, she could hear the fights going on: troopers against troopers, Siths against Siths. There were screams of death, blasters shots, lightsabers fights… As the approached the lift, she saw two groups of Sith soldiers, they were shooting at each other. Naresha held her lightsaber, closed her eyes and used the Force to rush towards the troopers.

"Stop firing! She's on our side!" one of Darth Rakk's captain shouted.

The shooting stopped on one side to let Naresha concentrate on her enemies. Each shot they fired never reached at her. She was making soft movement combining her skills and the Force. Her blade went through all of them. When she had finished with them, she shut off her lightsaber and rested. The captain of the group she had just saved went to her:

"Are you all right?"

"Yes", she responded, "I need to get to the bridge!"

"We will cover you!"

The captain made a sign to his men, telling them to fall back to the lift. Naresha followed the group. She thought it was nice to have some help. Enemy forces were still trying to make their way inside the corridors so they went on firing even when walking. Naresha made everything she could to reflect all blasts and kill as many troopers as she could. They finally got to the lift. Two groups of soldiers suddenly appeared from the doors next to them. Darth Rakk's forces were still holding their position with the assistance of Naresha. They only loose two men since the apprentice came to help them. She clicked on the doors' commands and they opened slowly.

"Come on! Use the lift!", the captain shouted.

"But what about you?", she answered.

"Just go!"

Naresha entered the elevator, got to the panel and chose the level. She turned one last time to the troopers as the opening was starting to close. They were shooting at the enemy everything they got. Those were brave men, giving their life for the power of the Sith. The doors were now firmly closed and the lift began to climb. She sighed and looked at a wound in her arm. A lot of blood rushed out of it. There was a deep cut in her shoulder. She focused on the Force and attempted to seal it. Naresha tried to remain calm as her wound ached. But then, all of a sudden, she stopped. She felt something through the Force: someone was coming…

She finally got to the bridge level. It was more damaged than what she had already seen through the battle inside the ship. Some walls were in an awful state, cables falling out of them. There were destroyed utility droids and dead bodies of Sith troopers strewing the ground. Naresha entered the command center full of technicians and pilots running around the room, working on different commands of the gigantic battle cruiser. _He's still alive..._

Darth Rakk was standing in the middle of the room looking through the windows at the space battle opposing Siths going on. He was a tall Devaronian, with one horn broken, a memory from the Mandalorian Wars. Rakk was once a follower of Revan but he was never a Jedi. He hid his powers until the Sith Lord helped him unleash them when he created his own Empire.

"Lord Rakk!", a technician said.

"What's the situation captain?", Rakk asked.

"Only five ships remain. They are commanded by Darth Obsidian, Darth Talr and Darth Eaesz. According to our intel, the other two are under the orders of the apprentices of Darth Yneam and Darth Imass"

"The students are taking on the Masters. Where is mine?"

"Here...", Naresha responded as she approached him.

Darth Rakk moved to her student and looked at her. He didn't smile or even frowned. He was emotionless before her. He looked at her shoulder.

"What happened?", he asked.

"Some Sith trooper while coming to you, my master, I tried to heal it...", she answered.

"Heal it...", the master said softly.

He grabbed her shoulder and tightened it: the wound was opening again. Blood started flowing out again, spilling on her dress. Naresha couldn't bear what he was doing to her, the pain she had tried to take off, returned. The crew members were watching, in silence. Then Rakk stopped…

"Pain is what make the Sith stronger, you have to use it against your enemy".

"Yes, my master".

Naresha walked away from him and sat in the only chair on the bridge. She was holding her wound, trying to stop the blood coming out. It wasn't the first time her master did something like that. She remembered her first trainings: he always tried to humiliate her in front of others, he always hurt her when she was learning how to fight using a sword. Her anger grew while he was preparing his troops. Suddenly, the apprentice was affected by a dark presence through the Force. The same thing she experienced earlier but stronger.

"Lord Rakk! We've got an intruder coming!", one of the pilots shouted.

From the corridor at the end of the control room, a man appeared. He was human, bald, wearing a dark and red armour. He was holding a double-bladed lightsaber.

"Rakk! I am here to claim your ship", the man screamed.

The master reached to him at once, grabbing his weapons from his belts.

"This is my ship. I won't let you take it!", Rakk answered to the Sith Lord.

"Mine was destroyed, I still have a chance to win this battle, you don't."

"And how do you know?"

"Everyone knows I am more powerful than you, that Malak wanted me to succeed you."

"That's something I'd like to see."

There was a deep silent. Only the starfighters flying and shooting all around in space could be heard. The two Siths faced one another, anger growing inside them as they were looking each other in the eyes. They had to wait for the first one to draw his lightsaber and do the first hit. Darth Rakk tightened his weapon and pressed its button. The red blade appeared in his hands and he let out a small grin at his opponent. He wasn't going to loose this fight, it would be a dishonour. Darth Amyil did the same and two red lights went out of the extremities of his sword. Rakk made his lightsaber spin around him and threw himself on the other Sith lord.

As the fight had started, the officers on the bridge panicked and ran away. Naresha stayed there, not knowing what to do. It was his fight, not hers, she thought. She watched as her Master lost advantage on the man attacking him. He couldn't counter all his attacks. Darth Amyil rushed his weapon on Rakk, using both blades as he could. The Devaronian lost his weapon from the powerful blows Amyil gave him. The Sith was about to see his fate. Amyil lifted his weapon preparing to give him one last hit. But his saber got blocked while going down to Rakk. A new blade appeared, in the way. There was this girl standing before him, breathing loudly and watching him with eyes full of anger.

"Oh... It seems that you care for your Master. Interesting yet funny..."

It was unexpected for her but it was her job to protect him, even if he was a pathetic...

The Sith didn't stop for her, he took his blade out and threw it on the girl. Naresha countered each blow using her strength and the Force. Rakk stood back up, his arm was hurting him. The Sith grabbed his weapon from the ground and activated it.

"Amyil! This fight is between you and me! The girl will be mine to finish...", he shouted.

 _How typical of his._ She knew that was in his mind. He doesn't want her to take his place. Her loyalty from him disappeared. _I shouldn't have saved that scum._

"Yes, you're probably right..."

Amyil gave a last saber hit on the girl, destroying her weapon. What remained of the lightsaber fell on the ground, leaving her nearly defenceless. She had lost her most precious belonging. The Sith lifted her up and threw her in the corridor. He used the Force to activate the commands of the doors and closed them. The last picture of her master was him, jumping towards his opponent. And now she just didn't care about his fate. Could he win? _You would_ _prefer_ _him to die, don't you_ , she said to herself.

And now, She couldn't do anything, the ship was about to be taken by another Sith. There wasn't many troopers remaining to help her. She was lost…

 _No! I must survive!_ These words suddenly appeared in her mind and she held tight on them. _I am a Sith, Sith do not abandon to death easily._ Naresha ran away from the bridge. She found the dead bodies of the group of troopers who helped her. Their bodies had been cut by a lightsaber blade. The captain's headgear was split open, revealing a young man, with dark hair. Naresha looked at him for a moment. _He was beautiful…_ She left the massacre scene keeping an image of the soldier in her mind. _I need a ship._ The nearest hangar was two segment away from her. The plan was to get a starfighter and jump to another system. The apprentice got there as fast as she could, using the Force to give her a little boost. She did not face any issues. It seemed that Rakk's troopers won the battle but decided to leave the ship. _Cowards_. The hangar was still standing. There were dead bodies of pilots all around. At the center, a shuttle was lying on its side, the cockpit half-destroyed. Naresha climbed up the stairs and got to one of the Sith interceptors. She placed herself inside and began activating the controls. The thrusters began to roar. The apprentice deactivated the magnetic clamps holding the ship from flying and the ship started going on his own. It lowered, nearly crashing on the floor.

"Come on! Hold on!", she screamed while trying to pull up.

The starfighter turned on itself making a fierce sound. Then it faced the hangar door.

"Okay we're good. Increasing power on the main reactors."

The ship started gaining speed and got out of the hangar. She was finally out of that mess. The space battle was reaching its end. Three battle cruisers were in action, with their hundreds of Sith fighters engaged in dogfights. The Victory was still inactive, the cannons weren't shooting any more. The destroyer was starting to derive into space. _He must be dead now_ , she thought. The image of the body of her master lying on the ground was making her happy, after all she endured with him. There was only one thing she was sad about, she didn't do it herself. Suddenly, a red alarm on the ship started.

"Proximity alarm!"

Two vessels were coming after her. She pulled down the thrusters command and the ship began going down. Naresha was pushed to her seat because of the increasing acceleration. The ship was crumbling as it was making his descent. Behind, the ships started firing on her.

"Evasive manoeuvres."

Naresha made a difficult attempt to escape. It was the first time she would fly such a ship in space. It was so much different from the training secessions aboard simulators. Her efforts were vain, she could feel that the pilots had more experience in flying this kind of vessel. Then she closed her eyes. _Concentrate… Concentrate… The Force..._ The apprentice grabbed the joystick. The Force was guiding each of her movements. _Right, left, now_ _a_ _bit more speed_. Her slick actions were helping in saving her life The ship changed its course every time she sensed something coming to her. No emotions were carrying her, she was not fearing anything. _Was it the way of the Jedi? Am I conducting myself as a Jedi?_ Suddenly, there was a loud bang, the ship crumbled. It had been hit by the starfighters behind her. She opened her eyes again, panicking. _The Jedi ways can go to hell!_ The consoles were flashing red, the motors were dead and one of the wings had been taken out. The ship whirled away. She had lost total control. Fear rose inside her. Then there was another shock, destroying another part of the small fighter. Naresha felt like she was going away. She was tired, her eyes started to close… One last words got out of her mouths…

"He was beautiful..."

* * *

The red blade went through his chest. The human gasped as he understood he had lost the duel against the Devaronian. His mouth remained wide opened, he was letting out the last few breathes. Darth Rakk got out his lightsaber and watched as the man fell on the ground, dead. He let out a small laugh as the fight was over and his enemy defeated. He was the man he always thought he was: the Victorious Sith. Yet, it was difficult for him to remain stable. His arm wound was worsening every second.

"I can't stop fighting now! Naresha, come here!", he said difficulty.

The door behind him opened. Heavy mechanical footsteps were coming towards him. It couldn't be a human. Rakk turned to see the newcomer. A silver droid stood before him, a HK-49, created for the use of Sith Lords only. They were cold-blooded assassins, cruel. Some stories said that Darth Revan had his own HK unit, who always finished his missions with success.

"Information: I am HK-49, your personal assassin droid. I was activated by the technicians to reclaim control of the ship from your opponent if you were to die. It is good to see that I didn't have to get my hands dirty", it said.

"Where is she?"

"Question: who, master?"

"My apprentice, Naresha Beli. She must be there."

"Truth: I have not met any one since I was awoken."

"Can you fly this ship?"

"Answer: Yes Master, I indeed can. I was taught to control this kind of cruiser."

The droid approached the control panel and started using it. He was changing from button to button at an incredible speed. Rakk went to him, keeping an eye on the battle going on.

"Statement: Weaponry reinitialized. Victory's capacity at 68 per cent. What kind of strategy do we attempt Master?"

"What ships are still active?"

"According to the latest informations, I believe that Darth Obsidian's and Darth Talr's cruisers are active

"The weakest?"

"Observation: Obsidian's one I suppose Master. Their main cannons have been destroyed."

"Good. Open fire on it."

"With pleasure Master."

Heavy mechanical sounds could be heard throughout the ship. All the systems were turning on again. The big structure of the cannons moved and pointed at Obsidian's vessel. Then, they fired.

Everything was falling apart on the other side of the battle. There were no attempt of evasive manoeuvres because of the ship's conditions. The cannons of the Victory locked onto the bridge, leaving the ships without commanders. The control center shield was at zero capacity. One of the shots hit directly one of the windows which shattered. The crew members were sucked out of the bridge, with no chance of escape. They simply died painfully. The battle cruiser, as a last action, started falling down, crashing onto the ground of Korriban. The Victory passed next to the fallen cruiser, it was now installed in barrage position with the remaining Sith destroyer. The weaponry of both ships were shooting at each other. The fact that the ships were in close range only meant worse damage. The Victory was crumbling below Rakk feet.

"Statement: master, I believe that their ship is in better shape than ours. There is only a small possibility for us to win."

"No! It can't happen!"

Rakk stood up his arm, aiming it at the Sith destroyer. He was concentrating, to control the spirit of one of the technicians. The people with weak minds were the easiest to get control of. They had more spots for a Force user to integrate. Rakk had achieved what he wanted. He could see from his closed eyes what a single technician could see. He was looking at the ship bridge which looked like his one. In the middle was standing a Quarren holding a lightsaber: Darth Talr. _My final enemy…_ Rakk made the man he was controlling stand up, grab his weapon from his belt and shoot at the controls of the vessel. Then, the bridge got on fire.

"Computers are down! We are loosing control of the ship." Rakk heard.

"To the escape capsules", another man shouted.

The technician looked away. The commanders were all fleeing. In the middle, the Sith remained. He ignited his lightsaber and threw it at the technician. Rakk suddenly opened his eyes. He had lost the connection.

"HK, change bearing of the cannons, turn them to any ships trying to escape the cruiser."

"Yes master."

The weapons stopped, and started looking for their next targets. And suddenly, three small escape capsules launched from the side of the ship.

"Here they are master."

"Good, engage the missiles at them. They must not escape!"

HK-49 engaged the locking signal towards the three little vessels floating away from the Interdictor vessel. The beeping sound indicating the precision got higher and higher.

"Target acquired master."

"Then, fire!"

The missiles were launched and pursued the escape capsules. They reached them at high speed impairing the structure of each vessels, destroying the hulls and killing the crew members.

"Target eliminated."

Rakk, from the bridge, smiled. He was the winner of this battle between, as far as he knew, some of the mightiest people in the galaxy. The Sith were destroyed and he was the only one remaining. He would now do everything to keep this role of new master of the dark side of the Force. _I have done it…_ _Now the galaxy will be for_ _mine!_

"Sir, for your information. I have knowledge of where your slave went. It appears she has stolen a starfighter and escaped."

"But these ships aren't equipped with an hyperdrive."

"Yes, I indeed know that."

"How foolish of her… So she must be out there. Send a group of space droids to seek her."

 _My apprentice, the only person who could take this power from me. I must have her. I must kill her to complete the search for power over the galaxy!_

Suddenly, a gigantic battle cruiser got out of nowhere. He was shattered, old but larger than the Victory. It was a ship ravaged by wars...

* * *

"He was beautiful..."

Naresha woke up, she was lying on an infirmary bed in a room with greyish walls. Two medical droids were standing next to her. They were rusty but their natural green colour could still be seen. She tried to stand up but she sensed pain through her body. It was burning her. She had difficulty moving her arms. One of the two droids got next to her, trying to put her down.

"You must rest.", it said.

"Where am I?"

"You are in a safe place.", an unknown female voice answered.

An old woman entered the room, she was wearing Sith dark robes, her hood on. Even hidden by it, her eyes could be seen, they were perfect white, it was pure. _Is she Blind?_ , Naresha thought.

"Indeed I am."

The apprentice had learnt during her trainings that force-users who had lost sight were some of the most powerful people in the galaxy because they only saw the surroundings through the Force.

"You are reading my mind! I have never seen someone do that, even my master."

"Because your master is weak. He thinks he is all powerful because he killed a bunch of Sith idiots. He doesn't know the true power."

"So my master survived the battle of Korriban?"

"Yes he did. I had sent my associates to Korriban to contact the Sith lords. When they arrived at the scene, he was the only one remaining. They captured his vessel and brought him here."

"Can I see him?"

"In time, you will. But now you must rest. We will train you again so you can gain more strength."

"For what?"

The old woman left the room leaving Narehsa with the two medical droids.

"You have heard Darth Traya. Return to sleep."

Naresha lied on her bed again, this name Darth Traya remained in her mind until she went to sleep. She wanted to know more about her and this place.

* * *

Months passed after she first awoke in the Trayus academy. Through her journey, she learnt more about it. It is located on the fifth planet of the Malachor system where dark side powers dwelled. Sith temples are located on each of the five planets. Malachor V was the theatre of the end of the Mandalorian conflict where the forces of Revan used the Shadow-Mass generator to destroy the remaining Mandalorians. It's also the place where Revan installed himself after he joined the Siths. He trained many acolytes and Jedi who had left the order for the forthcoming war. But as the Jedi Civil War started and with Revan returning to the light side of the Force: the place was abandoned. But it was reopened by Darth Traya, one year after the end of the conflict.

Over the time, Naresha was trained into better ways unlike her master's. Darth Traya chose to become her temporary learner. The Zeltron girl was still wondering about her Master's fate. According to Traya, he had not wanted to see her. She also said that he was trying to learn the true meaning of power from two other Sith Lords who operated with Traya: Darth Nihilus and Darth Sion. Over the days, Naresha learnt new Force skills to defeat enemies, how to properly use pain and anger to grow power.

Traya saw in the apprentice a lot of potential because of her strength. She knew what she would become…

* * *

Naresha was late. Darth Traya had called for her for important matters the apprentice had yet to discover. It would probably be more training, that's the only thing she had done in days. Traya was preparing her for something, testing her, that's what she believed. The Sith lady was waiting for her in the audience room, where usually Traya, Sion and Nihilus had meetings. Naresha entered the room, it was all dark. Suddenly, three red lights appeared and approached the girl. It was the three Sith Lords or as they were called by the people of the temple: the Sith Triumvirate.

"Apprentice, do you know why you are here?" Sion, the broken Sith, asked.

"No, I do not know, my lord."

"I have been watching your progress and we three have decided that you should become someone in this universe.", Traya said.

"You will become a Sith acolyte, your work will be assassination, murder, infiltration.", Sion continued, "But before you must pass one final test."

"What is it masters?"

Nihilus threw someone on the ground before Naresha. It was Rakk. He was already beaten: his second horn taken out, he had loads of scars on all the body and one eye was missing. The man was breathing difficultly, coughing at some occasions. He didn't raise his head. He couldn't watch her.

"Kill him."

Suddenly, Naresha felt something for her master, the man who chose her to be his apprentice, the man who taught her for a big part of her life. Their bond was not yet created because of the anger she had against him. She remembered all he had made her suffer, the humiliations with the other students, the other troopers and masters. He was not a good teacher but once, she was loyal to him. Then she thought of something she had learnt. _The_ _true_ _n_ _ature of the Sith is_ _betrayal, treachery to gain power, to show your the strongest, to show who is the true master_ _._ It was time for her to show her true nature.

"With pleasure."


	2. Episode II: The Assassin

**The Sith Empire is growing day by day! Two months after her trials, Naresha Beli, now a Sith Assassin, has been sent on a mission by the Triumvirate to kill a member of the Banking Clan council on the planet Scipio...**

* * *

Scipio was an ice-covered planet set in the Outer Rim territories, one of the main settlement of the Inter-Galactic Banking Clan. The main cities of the Clan were huge buildings standing on the snowy mountains. The Council who ruled the Clan stood in the city of Alcarris, in the south region of the planet. It consisted of five Muuns that were elected every six years on Muunilist. Their discussions were kept secret, as it could generate anger and hate against the Clan and make them lose a lot of their clients. The clan was also one of the main funders of the Republic. During the Mandalorian Wars, with the Republic Army in need of new vessels and weapons, they supported them by lending huge amounts of money. But the late refund from the Republic caused a bankrupt. After this event, they were reticent to help them during the Jedi Civil War. And at the time, many of the councilmen stood by Revan's side and gave funds to his Empire. This was discovered after the destruction of the Star Forge so the governments decided to create new inner-workings for the Banking Clans so that new members would not be easily corrupted. It was now more difficult to get any help from them. That's what bothered Traya; indeed to defeat the Republic, they needed a bigger fleet, more materials, credits... The warships they had currently were the Ravager that Traya gave to Nihilus when he joined the Alliance, three Sith battlecruisers including Rakk's Victory and old Derriphan's class ships and even Republic hammerheads that survived the final battle of Malachor. Even if the Jedis had been weak during the Civil War, their fleet was still strong enough to end them. If the Empire could get help from the Banking Clans and industries across the galaxy, they could get enough ships to start getting out of the shadows. Naresha was their best choice for this mission, Traya thought. She had been proven particularly strong and determined in their fight, the Sith had a great future in mind for her apprentice...

* * *

The modified Herald-class shuttle got out of hyperspace in front of the snowy planet. The thrusters roared and a ship passed right through the main space lines. It effectuated a route, following the transports of corporations towards the ground of the planet. Onboard, Naresha was sitting in her room, meditating, lost in her thoughts. _Power_ … This new world she discovered. _Fight_ … What she had done her whole life. _Master…_ The man who changed her. Then she saw visions of her lost past on Zeltros and Korriban, from the campaigns in the outer rim and the day she killed Rakk.

 _With pleasure, she said in front of all three members of the Sith Triumvirate. Rakk was still standing, handcuffed, hurt and he begged her: Naresha, please don't! I am your master. She swung her lightsaber, looking in his eyes. She breathed hard, a tear fell down her cheek. I did it, she thought. Falling down to her knees because of how exhausted she was, she tried to forget._

"Not Exactly."

And there he appeared to her. His presence in the room through her eyes made her scared. He was still haunting her. Darth Rakk stood as new: the horn she had seen taken away was there again, a dark sleek suit like he never wore before. The ghost turned around the young girl, smiling. Slowly, he took his lightsaber from his belt and activated it. The red blade appeared and it stroke her.

Then she woke up from meditation, breathing hard, her hands holding her new lightsaber. She calmed. _Just a ghost_ , she thought, a ghost of _my past, the future is ahead._ The door opened and a grey sentinel droid appeared:

"Mistress, we have arrived at Scipio. The shuttle will be landing on Alcarris in a few moments, I advice you to get ready."

"Thanks 2T. I'll get myself prepared."

2T-RE nodded at her and walked out. This droid had been her assistant for the past few days, he was more accustomed to flying but wasn't scared of fighting. Naresha stood up and opened a large crate where she kept all her stuff. She grabbed her red tunic, her cape and got dressed. She checked one more time her lightsaber, which was given to her by Traya on Malachor. She wasn't really accustomed to it yet, it was not like the one she had built during her training. Back to the cockpit, 2T was sitting on the pilot chair then he turned to his mistress.

"Do you need to listen to the mission's order once more madam?"

"No it's okay 2T."

She knew it very well, it was quite simple for her. _Infiltrate, kill_. It would be done easily, she was nearly given everything she needed: plans, dates, hours… All had been studied to prepare the best time to terminate. Her victim: Duse Ume, member of the Banking Clan council. he was the easiest to kill, no huge security, just some droids to guard the entrances of his building. Of what she knew, Traya would then make Tarn Teek the new Council member. He was a member of an important family on Muuniliist, dedicated to the cause of the Sith Empire since the Great Sith War. With him having a siege at the Council, he would be able to send resources to the Empire.

"Did the security notice us?"

"No mistress. I have blurred all video cameras in the sector."

The shuttle continued towards a small landing pad where some droids where working. The ship touched ground. Naresha approached the access ramp, followed by 2T.

"If you have any problem, madam, call me through the comlink, it has a secured line."

"Thanks, but don't worry, I'll be back quickly. Get the ship ready for my return and in case of any problems."

"I'll be ready in any case."

Naresha smiled at her droid and put her hood on. With the night hiding her, she managed to get out of the ship without any of the maintenance droids seeing her. She walked silently through the city's streets. There were no crowds at this time so many things were happening around her. Rich humans, aliens including Muuns were making inglorious affairs: playing with slaves, some seemed to be children. The Force showed Naresha the feelings that came through these girls as they walked: they were broken on the inside because of what these men did to them. The acolyte knew that something had to be done but it was not the Sith way. Night also offered an escape from their job for the Muuns, she witnessed drug deals, gambling, murders… This city and the people living here were not as clean as the Banking Clan wanted the galaxy to see. At the centre of Alcarris stood the Muun temple where the Council was acting. It had a very circular look, like the Republic Senate on Coruscant with a large structure at the top where the members of the Council had their offices and apartments. According to the files she was given, Duse was normally in his office at that time. The maintenance shaft she had to use was really high. They were usually meant for small droids but these ones had been built bigger to fit a standing T3 droid. _If I follow the right course, I'll_ _be_ _directly in his office_. The distance between her and the shaft was circa nine meters. She closed her eyes and concentrated for the Force jump.

 _Apprentice._

Rakk had appeared again, just in her mind. _You are not strong enough, you'll fail, each time you'll try. Look at it, it's too high._ Anger, through her again, even after death, he would still try to humiliate her. She let him talk and decided to jump. The Force bore her through the ascension. Grabbing some cables, she had been able to get to the door. She clicked on the control panel and the door opened. Following the corridor, she got to the droid maintenance. It was full of utility units: astromechs, protocols used by the members of the Clan, but now all were in night mode. Naresha activated her holographic projector and checked the map of the building. The office was just a few sectors away. She knelt and ran through the small hallways. In front of the door leading to the office, she only saw a small lights coming from a desk-lamp. He was still inside, looking by the window. Silently, the acolyte broke the door and stood up, she approached the chair turned to the outside, the top of the large head of the Muun was only showing. She brought her lightsaber at the back of the chair and activated it, it's fierce sound breaking through the room, penetrating the flesh of Ume...

* * *

 _HOLONET NEWS_

 _BREAKING INFORMATIONS: On the planet Scipio, known for housing the Intergalactic Banking Clan Council, Duse Ume has been assassinated last night. A funeral ceremony will be organised shortly for Ume on his home-world of Muunilist. Tarn Teek, a bureaucrat working for the Hudron Starfighters company has been chosen to replace him, the tests of his loyalty being very impressive. After his election, he sent a word to the whole clan, concerning the death of his predecessor: "Ume was one of the strongest leaders of the Banking Clan. His death was very sudden and we have yet to discover who killed him and why. But he will be remembered as a man with great compassion who helped many companies in despair including mine."_

 _More news to come…_

* * *

 _One last drink_ , Balink told himself, _and maybe another after this. I don't care about being drunk right now, I am on holidays_. His last investigation had been exhausting: running around searching for a kidnapped boy on Tatooine. The father was guilty: he sold his son to a local gang leader in exchange for money but he didn't tell his wife. All this junk, as Balink called it, caused the death of his assistant and a bounty on his head. Relaxing and drinking were now the best thing he could do. The bartender stood above him, watching his boneless body making some small movement as he asked for another bottle of the Tarisian drink with his hand fingers trying difficulty to stand up. It wasn't cheap considering that no one else would make this as Taris was bombarded by Malak near the end of the conflict. He would miss these, they were so tasty. As he arrived with the drink, the Sullustan hit the table asking for payment, waking hard Balink as he started checking his wallet which was, as usual, empty.

"Crap… Sorry, I'll pay later for it."

"Duro slug."

"What if I tell you I am a saviour of the Republic."

"Don't trust you."

"I was at the last battle at the Star thing…"

"I'll pay for his drink", a man said from behind him.

"As you want", the barman said.

Balink rose his head and turned to his saviour, who sat on the chair next to him. A man in his thirties, bearded, wearing a republic piloting jacket. He looked familiar to the Duro who took off his hat to see better.

"Carth Onasi, it's nice to see you off the bridge of your cruiser for once. What are you now? Admiral?"

"You're right."

"Woah, well it's been a long time", he drank from the vine bottle, "What the hell are you doing here? You must have over duties. You've been looking for me?"

"Of course I was. I need you."

"You mean, you need me or the Republic needs me. It's not the same rate."

"The Republic."

"It cost less then. What's wrong? I am not really onto the news right now you see."

Onasi got out a small holographic device from his jacket and activated it. It showed a Muun, lying on the back of a chair.

"You haven't heard of the death of Duse Ume, Balink?"

"Nope", he drank more.

"We have no clues, nothing. Camera were off at this time, no one saw anything. He was killed by a lightsaber. We determined many of the possibilities why this was done, but I thought you could help the Republic on this. You're an expert."

"I know that", and a new swallow, but Carth took away the bottle before he could drink more.

"So are you in?"

"I'll do anything for money."

* * *

 _Scipio, I already hate that planet._ Standing next to his light freighter, Balink awaited his mandate to investigate. Onasi was a great contact usually for crimes but this time he had the feeling it was not going to be easy. He hid himself in his warm jacket. A Muun security officer holding a datapad finally arrived, followed by security droids.

"Well! You take your time."

"Sorry but since the death of the great Ume, the security on Scipio has been augmented. If you may follow me, I'll take you to the crime scene."

The inspector followed the Muun to the Banking Clan temple. Along the road, he witnessed as the local police asked for any clues, any eye witnesses. Tension was at its highest: the screens across the city were plenty of messages towards the population: "Even after his event, we must remain united"; "If you know something, report it to your local police centre". _How pathetic. The Muuns are trying to act like people who cared, but this case is going to be forgotten in just a few days, it's a big galaxy_. Balink had already dealt with them before, many concerning the Banking Clan, he knew that they were not on the good side all the times. He hated them deeply because of what they had been trying to hide to the people all those years. But anyway, a job was a job. The building was crowded with people, mainly policemen and reporters coming from across the galaxy: Holonet News, Hutt Network… The security officer asked for Balink to stay still until he got the authorisation to come in. _Screw them with their security procedures_. As the wait began, he started investigating. Many possible entry points for the assassin: main door, uncertain; access shaft, better. There were only a few visible around the building, all placed in the highest places of the walls. It could be difficult for a normal being so it's either a force-user or a highly trained person or with equipments. The Muun came back and brought Balink to Ume's office. He checked the whole room, an astromech maintenance shaft had been indeed set there. _Most probable entry then_. A hole in a chair was another clue that indicated the nature of the murderer. The assassination had been done using a lightsaber: efficient weapon, sleek and dangerous. Important question: what was the colour of the blade? Not many people carry that kind of weapon, it's usually Jedi or Sith. The Jedis mainly had green, blue or yellow lightsabers and Sith had red ones. Black market had increased on lightsabers since the end of the wars but it couldn't have been criminals as it was so precise and well orchestrated all clues leaned toward a force-user. A police droid arrived to Balink and asked if he needed any assistance.

"If you have any recording of anything that could have happened in these droids maintenance corridors, it might be of great help."

The police droid searched through his database and the records of the security cameras. Luckily for them, T3 droids were always filming whatever happened around them and one of them showed a shadow moving quickly through the corridors: nothing more. Balink was now wanting to go back to Garel, searching for that stolen cargo of Rathtars, that time where he had gotten into serious mess, captured by the poachers. It looked like the worst case he would have to deal with.

* * *

Kellenech technologies, whose building was set on the planet Corellia, was a place meant to be impenetrable but it clearly wasn't. Despite all the advanced drones and all the weaponry that was used to protect the main office, someone had managed to reach one of the most protected men in all of the galaxy. Jon Kellenech's breathing was hard and his voice crippled. An assassin stood next to him, the red blade of a lightsaber next to his throat.

"I need the location of the landing zones and the codes of activation of each KT400 carriers you've been building."

"Yes, I'll bring them."

He went to his desk and activated his computer. He entered his password: Ashilia, the name of his daughter. She was in a room next to this office, he was hoping she could hear what was happening. Grabbing the informations she had asked for, he placed them onto a datapad that he handed to her.

"Here they are, take them. All of our ships out of the factories are sent to a final platform on the planet Kraali, Ohmaa sector near the south, you won't miss it. Now please let me go."

Despite that, the lightsaber was kept lighted.

"Please, don't kill me..."

The assassin brought her weapon up and sliced the man in half… A loud strident scream pierced in the night.

* * *

 _HOLONET NEWS_

 _BREAKING INFORMATION: the leader of Kellenech Technologies, Jon Kellenech, creator of the lines of droids such as the T1 bulk or the sentinel droids has been killed on the planet Corellia._

 _The famous Duro invetigator Balink Karak, has been tasked by the Republic to uncover the truth. We have no confirmation if it is the same murderer as the one that killed Duse Ume, the member of the Banking Clan council just one week ago._

 _Stay on alert for more news._

* * *

 _Two parts, that's something new_. One was his legs, the other, his chest. Balink was nearly about to throw up at this image. In fact, he really wasn't feeling very well. His diner was riding up his stomach: food from his old times on Nar Shaddaa, he should have tried to refuel his fridge aboard the ship. And the investigation droid wasn't helping, flying around. The investigator looked everywhere: there was even less clues than the last time. Only a new confirmation that the assassin was indeed someone with a lightsaber. It cut in half the man and destroyed the computer. But from the other side of the room, there were sounds. A small breathing, growing, it came to his ears. He ordered the unit to search for the source of the breathing: those droids equipped with many tools such as sound sensors, it would find it in no time. It pointed towards a cupboard, Balink opened it and discovered a young girl. She was in her sleeping clothes, holding tight in her arms a Reek plush. Karak took out his hat and knelt next to her. Yet, the child was still afraid.

"Hi, my name is Balink, I am a friend. Is that your reek, did you make it yourself?"

She nodded. Karak wanted to start softly with her, because if she had witnessed all of this, she had to be scared, terrified. That is why he kept smiling to her to create a connexion between the two of them.

"Well, I can assure you, it looks fantastic, never seen one like it before."

"Thanks", she answered softly

"This man, don't look at him, I have only a question, is he your father?"

She nodded.

"You saw everything…"

Again, she nodded.

"I am sorry. Would you like something to eat maybe? It seems you're hungry", he offered her the energy bar he kept in case of an emergency, "Take it. What's your name?"

And in a weak voice she answered: "Ashilia."

"Well, Ashilia, I know it is going to be painful but could you tell me what you saw?"

"Yes."

* * *

 _EXPRESS MESSAGE TO ADMIRAL CARTH ONASI OF REPUBLIC NAVY_

 _SUBJECT: The Assassin_

 _Hi Carth, it looks like our little killer is a CENSORED Sith. On the set of the Kellenech's murder, there was an eye witness, a little girl, his daughter. She's fine. Her mother being dead, I gave her to the Republic's embassy on Corellia, make sure she is helped quickly. Promise me that. She saw and heard everything that happened. It's a woman, she asked for codes to landings zones on Kraali, where there are installations of Kellenech. I am going there, if I could have people with me, and maybe starships on alert, that would be great._

 _See you later Carth._

* * *

The Red Lizard attempted his final ascent on the ground of the planet. Large swamps were extending throughout the planet surface. The ship approached the landing platforms where the KT400 droid carriers were. They were still there, no one had touched them yet. The scanners of Red Lizard indicated that no unknowns had approached the site. Balink could prepare himself for what's next. The light shuttle landed next to the shipyards. He got out his binoculars, putting them in extend mode, and observed the horizon.

"Keep looking, keep looking..."

Suddenly, a red alarm beeped across the ship. A vessel using scanners cloaking device was in approach to the zone. It flew right over the Red Lizard and went away to land in the opposite area. The inspector opened his box of weapons and grabbed both blaster pistol and rifle.

"That should do it."

The ground was smooth, he walked onto the smudge. He ran towards the walls of the building and entered using the opening codes he was given by the Kellenech officers of Corellia. Next to the carriers, he activated his heat scanner which showed that one signature was moving fast. A new one appeared, the lightsaber had been used, there he heard a first scream, then a second, more and more. His heart was getting tight as he got more and more scared. That Sith was coming… He held up his rifle and turned it towards the location of the assassin. There he fired a first shot, it touched his target.

"Okay! You're under arrest for the two murders committed in the previous week. State your name for the record. No more harm will be done to you if you do not resist."

He kept breathing, harder, and harder. Fear was gaining place in Balink. He didn't want to die today. His dream was to retire on a paradise planet: he heard of the beautiful planet of Lehon where the battle of the Star Forge took place with seas, wreckage and palm trees. He also wanted a wife, a son and a daughter to play with. So he hoped his death wasn't planned for today. Then a weapon sound came next to him, the Sith was just there, playing with her lightsaber.

"Who are you, lady?"

* * *

The Duro who was standing in front of her was that freelance inspector that Holonet News talked about: Balink Karak. _If he was to discover about the plot to destroy the Republic, it could compromise the whole affair._ He was complicating all of her work. No witnesses.

"No one."

She pushed him using the Force onto a wall. The man remained on the floor, maybe unconscious. _He has come to me, she thought, cautious, I am not cautious enough. I have to kill him, I have to!_ She sprang her lightsaber to life and brought it close to the Duro's head. Another voice sparked in her head, _you are weak, my apprentice._ _Not you! Not again!_ Suddenly a loud alarm activated in the facility, red alarms glowing through the night. Reluctantly, Naresha held back her lightsaber because she knew she had to hurry. _You are lucky._ She approached the maintenance controls and used the security key to access the flight log. The carriers were now all in her control: she blocked their flight protocol to remain on the course of her shuttle. Completing her mission meant transporting all of them to Malachor V. 2T was waiting at the door of the shuttle when Naresha rushed to the shuttle.

"Madam, what do I need to do?"

As she climbed onboard, the droid followed her towards the cockpit of the ship.

"We're off now, let's go before the Republic arrive."

"How do you know they are coming?"

"They sent someone after me."

The droid began the take-off protocols, calculating the main course for all vessels.

"We're pulling away."

The shuttle lifted, deploying its lateral wings and engaged towards the skies of the planet Kraali followed by the twenty shuttles.

* * *

 _Breath…_ He woke up and watched as the carriers were taking off. He stood up quickly, without thinking about the pain in his back and ran towards one of them, taking out a following device from his belt and throwing it on the nearest transport who was following a shuttle. Balink began charging the motors of the Red Lizard and activated all the weapon systems The vessel's engines started running and the Red Lizard lifted off and went running after the convoy. Into space, he discovered a Republic fleet had arrived to Kraali, attacking the fleeing ships. Many of the transporters were being obliterated by the fire of the Hammerhead cruisers. Trying to keep his distance from the blasts sent by the cruisers, Balink grabbed tightly the controls of his vessel and put power to the main shields. Screens indicated that they were about to make a jump to hyperspace. The coordinates of the jump arrived on the main screen, thanks to the tracker he had left: a system in the Outer Rim: Malachor V. There was no way people lived on this planet, it was dead but yet, he sighed and without hesitation, he added the location into the ship's navicomputer and punched the main level of the panel, launching the Red Lizard into light speed, into the unknown.

* * *

 _EXPRESS MESSAGE TO ADMIRAL CARTH ONASI_

 _SUBJECT: The Assassin (2)_

 _Carth,_

 _I am after the assassin, I fought her on Kraali. I've got more intel if you try to look for her: red skin (probably Zeltron girl), dark hair. She must be going to her base right now. I'll send you the coordinates in this message. One piece of advice: get a large fleet there please: not what there was on Kraali, that was nothing. I don't know why but I've got a bad feeling about this._

 _MESSAGE NOT SENT_

* * *

Out of hyperspace, the Red Lizard appeared above an asteroid field, but it was not only made of rocks but also spacecrafts: republic ships and Mandalorian vessels. This place was the theatre of a battle during the Mandalorian Wars, the final battle. Suddenly as it approached a bigger rock, planetary size, the ship began to wobble. Balink, not sat in his comfy chair, was projected through the cockpit. It had been trapped in the gravity well of the planet but it was stronger than usual. The inspector sat and grabbed the commands.

"Activation of the rotor compensator for this gravity."

The ship began stabilizing a little but the ship was still moving on his own, trapped. He relaunched the thrusters and transported the auxiliary system towards them, augmenting their power. The controls were back to normal, and he threw himself on the planet's ground. The canyons were large and enabled the ship to quickly pass through them. It was a scary place, darkness lived in this place. Balink looked around to see somewhere to land. He discovered a large zone next to a wrecked Hammerhead battle ship and lowered the ship. He grabbed an oxygen mask from his stuff and started moving out. The weather was bad, storm clouds all around him. He kept the tracking signal of the carrier and followed the trail, that was far from his current location. The walls were in bad shape, he was afraid they could fall on him, or make the way back impossible. He climbed up rocks, walked through bridges over huge cracks. _I am, maybe, near the good place. It looks like a lair of a bad holodrama's villain._ Before him, was standing a metal door, unguarded. He approached slowly, making silent steps. But it opened, Balink ran towards the nearest rock and hid. Two men in white Sith armour had come out.

"We'll find his body, I'll assure you."

"He must have been eaten!"

"The beasts don't eat men in armour. Don't be shy and let's go."

 _I need to get there before it closes…_ As the two troopers walked away from the entrance, the inspector got closer, making his way behind them, entering the place. _I am in, that's great._ The walls around him were grey with red lights in different paths. He kept his low profile while going through the different corridors. Along the way, he saw the kind of people that stayed there: troopers, technicians and the most scary of all, Siths. Maybe apprentices or acolytes, as for Balink, they all looked the same, wore the same robes, none seemed to be important Sith. He felt scared when he came across the first group of those students: they would sense his presence. Though he was an expert detective, he hated doing infiltration missions, running like a mouse around a building wasn't the most interesting part and being injured wasn't making it better. The feeling of pain in his back made walking uncomfortable and most of all running but he had no choice. He walked past the group of apprentices as quickly as possible and hide in the following corridor. The tracker suddenly beeped, indicated that the ship was near. Balink opened the door next to him and discovered a gigantic hangar whose doors led to the canyons. There were parked a lot of interceptor fighters, bombers and transporters and the KT400 carriers that were stolen. It was one of the few times in his job, that he was speechless: it was looking like the Sith Empire was trying to rebuild. They had an army large enough to take down fleets. The Herald shuttle was there too. _That's some good catch…_ Then, all of the sudden, a red alarm.

* * *

ST-77 walked next to his room-mate ST-23 and that bothered him. He hadn't been alone with him since the death of ST-21. 23 believed that he was killed by a storm beast during the inspection of sector 9 but it was wrong. 77 had lied to him because it was him who murdered him. He was a plea for the Sith Empire. But 23 and 21 were friends, good friends from the same planet. Lying to him was the worst decision he had made. The choice was intended for the survival of the Empire.

"We're approaching sector 8, no sign of 21. Wait..."

 _The worst thing that could have happened,_ 77 thought. ST-23 ran to the lying body of the trooper and started weeping slowly. He removed his headset and looked at the face of his friend. _No… Intar… No…_ His oldest friend from Onderon. They were taken together to Dxun and joined the forces of Revan. He took his body into his arms and hugged him. There was something wrong about him, 23 thought. He hadn't been killed by a storm beast, it was a blaster shot through his back. _That's impossible_.

"Why did you do this, 77?! You killed him! You were the only one with him that time!"

"I am sorry but blame him! He was about to get away from the Empire and go back to the Republic. He was a traitor."

"He could have been judged!"

"Oh come on! We're Sith not Jedi!"

"Oh come on! We have… Wait! Look! Behind you!"

A large structure was standing at the back of 77: a light ship that didn't belong to the Sith. 23 grabbed his communicator and said:

"23 and 77 to base! We've got an intruder on Malachor. We found a ship. We need extraction vehicle !"

* * *

"Intruder on the planet!"

 _Crap_. Sith troopers began crawling through the corridors passing next to Balink, who was hidden behind a crate in the hangar. The installation was on full alert to find him. Mark IV assault droid had been dispatch. _That's the worst thing that could've happen, except if they bring Force guys._ Two ships landed inside the hangar with another vessel: the Red Lizard. Sith troopers came out of these transports, followed by investigation droids and they entered his freighter.

"Okay, I am not done yet."

Balink got down inside the hangar and approached one of the carriers and tried to use it. A tractor beam was blocking him onto the ground, all of the ships. _New idea… Get out of this place._ The inspector ran to the nearest door and went back inside the edifice. _Keep it silent, keep it silent…_ Then he heard a voice, scaring like the one of the devil, it wasn't even talking basic. But someone with him was.

"If we are not careful, Traya might discover."

Then the voice answered:"She doesn't suspect anything."

Furthermore he said something else: "I am sure, don't underestimate me."

Suddenly, someone grabbed Balink from his back. A Sith trooper was holding him tight. The inspector hit him in the chest with his shoulders, free from his hands, he began to run away. Then he felt a pressure on his body, throwing him onto the wall, the pain in his back felt much worse The soldiers took him up again.

"What do we do of him my lord?"

"Kill him."

The inspector didn't see the man who ordered the trooper, only his voice. The trooper put his weapon next to the back of Balink and prepared to fire.

"Don't!"

A woman's voice had saved him from murder and she approached him. She was an old woman in dark robes followed by the person he had searched across the galaxy. _The assassin, finally_. She was a young Zeltron girl, with silver hair, in her twenties probably.

"I want him in a cell, now! He might be useful."

The voice of the devil seemed to have asked something.

"He is the first man that managed to discover our location. He is clever."

"As you wish Darth Traya."

The Sith instructed the two troopers to bring away Balink. He was cast in a cell, not too dirty. There was other people alongside him: an Ithorian, a human and a Selkath. No conversations began with the three, they seemed mentally endangered. Balink didn't want that to happen to him at all. A Sith had already tried to torture him in the past, it was one of the worst experiences in his life : he had hurt his mind, his feelings, his memories. It couldn't happen again The woman who saved him from death entered the prison and went to him. The three other prisoners began to shiver and fell down in their cell.

"Hello, thanks for saving me."

"I kept you because you might be useful to me, otherwise, I would have killed you."

"Okay great."

"How did you arrive to this place?"

"Why would I tell you?"

She lifted her hand.

"Your Force powers won't work..."

And he told him the whole story, the way he was introduced to all of this, his two investigations and how he got himself on the planet.

"You're a clever one, aren't you? I was right to keep you."

"Yeah, I am a detective, I don't do this for nothing. Hey, I might have something for you, well I can tell it to you if you give me food or a blanket in return."

"My patience has limits."

"Okay! Your two friends, the ones that wanted to kill me. They are preparing something against you."

She turned back to him and answered softly.

"Yes I know."

"Am I getting my blanket anyway?"

And she left, leaving Balink alone in his darkness of his cell.


End file.
